Dein erstes Forum » bold move taken at a time when Basel has dominat

Shes never thrown a 45-yard pass, tried to block a blitzing linebacker or drawn up the Xs and Os of zone pass coverage, yet Jennifer Gibson is right there on the Chicago Bears sideline for every practice and game. Tucked among the behemoth linemen, coaches and training staff is a fit, 36-year-old Canadian with long, blonde hair dressed in Bears colors whos in her second season as the teams sport science coordinator and sport dietitian. Her goal: to help every athlete on the roster perform at his highest level.Gibson came to the Bears after several years working with the U.S. and Canadian Olympic programs, guiding many athletes to the medal stand. Shes also worked with teams and athletes in professional soccer, tennis and the NBA. She has a degree in nutrition, is a registered dietitian, has a masters in exercise science and is a graduate of the International Olympic Committees sport nutrition program. Seeing a sport dietitian at a leadership conference piqued her interest. The combination of liking science and growing up in an Italian family played a factor, too. I liked food, Gibson says. I was trying to find a career path that blended the two, and there it was.She works with coaches and training staff to develop fueling and recovery plans for every player on the Bears roster. Over her career shes helped athletes lose weight and gain weight.A former standout high school three-sport athlete (cross country, volleyball and softball) in Toronto, Gibson continues to stay active. She runs or cycles every day and also does yoga three to five times per week. She works daily at the Bears facility in Lake Forest, Illinois. She and her husband live in the Chicago area with their two dogs.Here is Gibsons story, in her words:Feeding the BearsAs sport dietitian, Im responsible for anything involving food for the guys. All their nutrition needs from handling the cafeteria here -- where we feed them twice a day -- to all our food on the road: hotel meals, plane meals, postgame meals, pregame meals, locker room food and individual plans for the guys. Also, individual strategies for hydration and recovery.Whats on the menu?What youre trying to do is satisfy the needs of a delegation of up to 130 to 150 people. You want to make sure theres something for everybody. Plus, guys have routines and habits, especially for pregame meals. You just want to make sure everyone has what he needs. We also accommodate food allergies or intolerances. We had a player last season for a short period who was a vegan. Our scoops in our cafeteria are pre-measured to make it easy. Theres a whole lot of science that goes behind their (individual meal) plans, but when it gets to the players level its about, three scoops of this and two scoops of that.Counting caloriesIt was an interesting transition for me here, because I came in from Olympic combat sports. I was dealing with wrestlers cutting weight. So youre managing really small calorie budgets and then, coming to football, youre sometimes on the opposite of that for bigger guys. So when youre doing meal plans for 6,000 calories, youre kind of going, Wow, this is crazy. As you can imagine, we go through a lot of food here.Individual plansIts not mandatory that our guys have an individual meal plan. But like all teams in the league, we have mandatory weight targets the guys have to meet. So that lends itself to making sure I touch base with almost every single one of our players. You get to know each other pretty quickly. For sure, there are guys with 100 percent buy-in and guys that are 5 percent in. But there are few guys that are 0 percent in.This isnt TimbuktuArranging team meals on the road isnt that difficult. I used to travel around the world with the Olympic teams. Id try to set up food in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China and remote villages in Europe, with language barriers and crazy things. So this is pretty easy. Were in the United States.Helping them healWe have a big emphasis here on anti-inflammatory foods because the players bodies are getting beat up all the time. So we have lots of fruits and vegetables, we have a juice bar, we have healthy, fatty fishes and nuts as snacks. We try to incorporate all those anti-inflammatory foods and have them available as snacks and in the cafeteria all day.Following her own adviceI have this joke that no one trusts an out-of-shape or overweight sport dietitian. I do eat a healthy diet. Its not that Im a food [stickler], either. Definitely theres 5 percent of my diet that I just enjoy whatever I want. But the bulk of it is absolutely what I preach.Science and techOur general manager, Ryan Pace, wanted to build our sport-performance department out a bit. My job as sport science coordinator is to investigate areas that are a bit non-traditional to improve performance. For example, we brought on a sports psychologist. And were using GPS technology. My job is to be aware of the research and trends so we can take a progressive approach.Tracking movement, sleepThe GPS trackers give us a sense of what theyre doing day to day on the field. How many yards theyre covering in practice, their speed, direction. Players are tracked during the game as well so you get a sense of what the load is on the body. That can influence practice tempos and reps and the stresses were putting on guys through the week. Were also educating players about sleep and looking at ways that can be optimized. We know sleep can be a valuable asset in recovery.Adapting to different athletesYou have to learn about the physiological demands and competition demands of different sports and adapt your nutrition interventions. Olympians and pro tennis players do a lot of global travel, so optimal eating on the road is an emphasis. Football has a lot of physical trauma and impact, so recovery strategies are important. Plus you have to understand the culture of each sport. Each sport and team has a different way they go about their business, chains of command and how you need to work. You really have to spend time learning the system to achieve your goals.PioneerOne of the things that makes this a really cool job is I know with the Bears, Im the first female staff on the football operations side. Last year there were six to seven of us in the league in football operations and this year theres 12. Its neat to see, to be on the forefront.Catalyst for changeIts been a little bizarre being the first woman on this side of the building. Like, where do we put you to change? What do we get you for apparel? Are you allowed to go here? Even on the sidelines Ill be stopped sometimes and told I cant enter because they think Im media, or not being allowed in the locker room until you show them your credentials. But its neat, because you feel youre at the beginning of something.Golden momentsAt the 2012 Olympic Games in London, I worked very closely with the combat sport athletes, because they have to make weight. To be a trusted member of an athletes journey to an Olympic medal, the highest sporting achievement on the planet, is an indescribable feeling. Nike Just Do It Shoes Australia . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. Nike Off White Shoes Australia . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. http://www.outletairmaxaustralia.com/air-max-270-buy-australia/max-270-mens.html . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nike Air Max Zero Australia . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Nike Air Max2 Light Australia . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. LONDON -- Theo Walcotts first-half goals and Alexis Sanchezs boundless energy helped Arsenal to a straightforward 2-0 win over Basel in the Champions League on Wednesday.Walcott opened the scoring in the seventh minute when a long ball over the top found Sanchez, who ran down the left before crossing into the box. An unmarked Walcott darted behind the defense to power a header beyond the reach of Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik.Walcotts second goal came from a clinical one-two with Sanchez, whose back was to goal when he released the England international with a flicked pass. Walcott rifled home the return ball off the post in the 26th.The result leaves Arsenal fighting for top of Group A with Paris Saint Germain. Both teams have four points after two matches, following PSGs 3-1 victory at Ludogorets on Wednesday.I would like to congratulate my team for the quality that they produced tonight, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. But my only regret is that we didnt take enough of the chances that we created. But its a good basis to have a taste for more.Arsenal found cracks in Basels defense throughout the match at Emirates Stadium, and the home side could have easily had half a dozen goals by the break -- if not for wayward finishing and some excellent saves from Vaclik.The first half virtually mirrored Arsenals dominant display against Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday, when the Gunners scored all of its goals before halftime in a 3-0 win.I think it was a game where again the first half was top quality, Wenger said. The pace, the quality of our movement, the technical quality. And we created many dangerous situations.Much of Arsenals dazzling play came from Sanchezs vision and industry, with the forwards pace and trickery too much for Basel to handle at times as his link-upp play with Walcott paid dividends.ddddddddddddWenger has persisted with playing Sanchez as a lone striker, a decision which initially appeared to backfire at the start of Premier League season. But now, the Chilean is finding his form.I think at the moment, yes, Wenger said. He looks like he has the ingredients to do very well there, and hes getting stronger in every single game.The visitors came back into the match for brief spells in the second half, most notably when midfielder Birkir Bjarnason smashed a shot that forced Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina to palm the ball over the crossbar.Basel coach Urs Fischer used a new tactical system, playing three defenders at the back. It was a bold move taken at a time when Basel has dominated the Swiss league with nine straight wins.The intention was to not give Arsenal so much space, the space that they want, Fischer said. The system actually worked at times ...we also had phases where we lacked courage to defend high.Basel faces PSG in its next group match, and the Swiss side needs to pick up points to have a chance of advancing.I believe that today we saw our limitations, Fischer said. Its good to see that. Now we have to learn. We have to benefit from that.Were lacking points and we now have to try to change that in Paris.Arsenal was forced to wear its yellow-and-blue away kit at Emirates Stadium after UEFA said that both of Basels strips would clash with the home teams red-and-white colors.Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka faced his older brother Taulant Xhaka for the time since the siblings lined up against each other at the European Championship in June -- Granit for Switzerland and Taulant for Albania. ' ' '